Laura Muir

Mo Farah and Laura Muir were named athletes of the year by the British Athletics Writers’ Association (BAWA) when the organisation presented the country’s longest-running annual track and field awards in London on Friday (November 17).

Farah took the male athlete of the year prize for a record seventh time following a final track season that saw the 34-year-old claim his 10th global title by winning the 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships in London in addition to victory in the Simplyhealth Great North Run.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist, who is building toward next April’s Virgin Money London Marathon, topped the voting ahead of world 4x100m gold medallist and Diamond League winner CJ Ujah with relay team-mate Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake third.

Muir was named female athlete of the year at the close of a season that saw the Scot claim double gold in the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade over 1500m and 3000m before finishing fourth in the 1500m at the IAAF World Championships as well as sixth in the 5000m.

While also completing her veterinary degree, she claimed British outdoor records in the mile and indoors over 1000m and 5000m. Muir edged out Dina Asher-Smith and Asha Philip, two members of Britain’s 4x100m squad that took silver at the World Championships.

Dame Mary Peters received the Ron Pickering memorial award for services to athletics for her work in providing opportunities in supporting talented young sportspeople and the community at large in her native Northern Ireland. The 78-year-old, who won pentathlon gold at the 1972 Olympics, continues to be active in her charitable sports trust.

Jonnie Peacock took the male para athlete of the year award for the second successive time after a season that saw the 24-year-old Paralympic champion regain his 100m T44 world title in London.

Wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn landed the female para athlete of 2017 prize for the first time. The 21-year-old gained her maiden global titles with 100m and 200m T53 gold in London in addition to 400m bronze and a clutch of world records throughout the year.

High jumper Tom Gale won the Jim Coote memorial award for junior male athlete of the year following his bronze medal at the European Under-20 Championships and a string of strong showings amid senior competition.

The Lillian Board memorial award for junior women went to sprint hurdler Alicia Barrett, who landed silver at the European Under-20 Championships and secured the British senior title over 100m hurdles.

Perri Shakes-Drayton took the BAWA inspiration award after battling back from a career-threatening knee injury in 2013 to be part of the GB 4x400m team that won world silver in London this year.

THERE was no time for Callum Hawkins to dwell on collecting the FPSG scottishathletics “Athlete of the Year” title on Saturday night at a star-studded gala occasion in Glasgow.

While the trophies were forthcoming for the Hawkins clan – dad Robert won Performance Coach of the Year as well – the Champagne and late night that usually accompany such events was something the marathon man sidestepped.

From picking up awards on Saturday evening, Hawkins was picking up his passport again yesterday, heading back out to France to train, but only after he’d completed a session closer to home.

If 2017 was a year to remember for the 25-year-old, then his focus now is firmly on 2018, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Down Under, and the possible showdown on the road against multiple Olympic gold medal winner Sir Mo Farah.

“I’m always ready to take on Mo; I’m always ready to take on the best. But I think it will be good when I actually get to race him,” said Hawkins, who ran a PB of 2.10:17 in finishing fourth in the 2017 World Championship marathon in London.

“Hopefully. I’m always up for racing the best in the world and I’m not going to shy away from that – and Mo!” laughed Hawkins, who for good measure, and still chuckling confirmed no less than three times; “and Mo is one of the best in the world.”

Hawkins, who genuinely looked overwhelmed and surprised that he had landed such a prestigious honour, took time out after his gruelling summer schedule – and found another Brit has emerged as a challenger for Gold Coast and beyond.

During his down time, Hawkins saw Welshman Dewi Griffiths surpass the Scot’s London time by 28 seconds in Frankfurt. So, has Griffiths raised the bar further?

“Yes and no,” was Hawkins’ slightly coy response. “He ran phenomenally, but I always knew Dewi had it. But I didn’t think he’d be quite that quick. Maybe low 2.10’s – but he’s definitely made me want to go out and get my times down. But that is going to be tough with the championships.

“I know I can so something similar, time wise,” said Hawkins, who believes it isn’t always about racing the clock.

“In a big city marathon, then yes. In a championship, it’s a bit more tactical and a bit harder to predict who is going to come out on top, say compared to 100m, because we don’t really race that much.

“The marathon is so unpredictable, anything can happen. Conditions can be a factor, or you could get a small niggle. You just don’t know, or what shape people are in.”

Hawkins is himself getting back into shape, and already has his card marked in the build up to the Commonwealth Games – and that means no cross country this winter.

“I only came back [to Glasgow] on Thursday,” he said, breaking his training schedule in France to pick up his award at the weekend.” But the legs are starting to click in now, compared to a few weeks ago. I took a break after the Scottish and it took a wee while for the legs to come back.”

He added, “I’m back to France, then it’s the Seven Hills race [in the Netherlands] in two weeks’ time – I’ve never run 15k – and then I’ve got a few races lined up next year. Then I’ll be out to the Gold Coast, probably about six weeks before, getting used to the heat.

“Unfortunately, the Euro cross falls a week or two after I start my block for the marathon, so it would postpone that, and I want a big, proper block for the Commonwealth Games.

“I’ve got a few 10k races, one half marathon – in Britain, I’ll say that much – so a few races. But everything is geared towards Gold Coast.”

And before heading for France, Hawkins admitted he thought he was a fortunate winner of Scottish athletics’ biggest accolade.

“It’s been a good end to the year. It was a tough category though. I think anyone could have won it, pretty much eeksy peeksy,” said Hawkins, nominated alongside Eilish McColgan, Laura Muir, Chris O’Hare and Para Athlete of the Year, Sammi Kinghorn.

“It is pretty flattering to be put on top of all those great people. I wouldn’t personally put myself there. But I think everyone on that list would probably say the same,” said Hawkins who was quick to offer up his “winner.”

“It’s got to be Sam. She had a brilliant year; a double gold medallist. But, I’m still proud to be up there and mentioned with them.”

Hawkins received a standing ovation on Saturday night, the kind of acknowledgement he doesn’t always witness when running.

“Personally, I don’t get to see it – I tend to keep myself to myself and just run. You tend to see it a little bit at local championships, but the chance to see it, massed, I don’t know if I can put it into words – athletics is such a great community,” said the almost shy, but deserving winner.

Senior figures in British athletics asked Mo Farah to split with controversial coach Alberto Salazar before the World Athletics Championships in London, only for the four-time Olympic champion to refuse.

Concerned by the negative impact Farah’s continued association could have when the American remains the subject of a United States Anti-Doping investigation, a prominent figure in the sport was asked by UK Athletics to meet Farah and raise the issue after he competed in Ostrava on June 27.

Farah instantly dismissed the possibility of dropping the man who masterminded his amazing transformation from also-ran to arguably the finest distance-runner of all time after also clinching six world titles.

Salazar has always maintained his innocence, but Sportsmail can reveal that the American’s position as a distance-running consultant for UKA was secretly terminated in September 2015.

In the build-up to London 2017 there appeared to be a carefully orchestrated campaign to put distance between Farah and Salazar, with reports of a probable separation after the championships amid claims that his involvement with the Briton had been limited for some time.

That, however, was not the case. Asked on Wednesday if Salazar remains Farah’s coach, his representatives told this newspaper: ‘Alberto is still Mo’s coach.’

Clearly a compromise was reached for the World Championships, with Salazar staying away from London to prevent the situation with USADA from over-shadowing Farah’s last major event on the track and his farewell to British fans. Instead, as this newspaper revealed, Salazar sent his son.

UK Athletics had been nervous about their own association with Salazar since doping allegations about the Nike Oregon Project, where Farah trains, surfaced in a joint BBC Panorama-ProPublica report in June 2015.

Following an investigation into the Panorama claims by the Performance Oversight Group, UKA issued a carefully worded statement in September 2015.

‘In July we said that there was no evidence of any impropriety on the part of Mo Farah and no reason to lack confidence in his training programme,’ it said. ‘The Oversight Group have restated that view. They have also found no reason to be concerned about the engagement of other British athletes and coaches with the Oregon Project.’

But the UKA board took the immediate decision to end Salazar’s wider association with British distance-runners, limiting him to working with just Farah.

It meant Salazar still had a contract with UKA. But he was informed that his position as a distance-running consultant, technically unpaid as his salary was paid by UKA sponsors Nike, would not exist while the USADA investigation was ongoing.

When a USADA report on the Oregon Project was leaked by Russian hackers earlier this year, the situation once again became uncomfortable for UKA.

On Wednesday one source claimed that there was a desire to see Farah part company with Salazar before he runs in April’s Virgin London Marathon. Indeed, it was said there had been a power struggle between Marathon boss Dave Bedford and Farah prior to Farah committing to the race.

But the talk that took place in Ostrava, Sportsmail understands, was initiated by the governing body. That led to further erosion in the relationship between Farah and UKA. As we revealed in August, Farah refused to work with head of endurance Barry Fudge in the build-up to London. Fudge worked with Salazar for years.

According to one source on Wednesday, the root of the split was Farah’s frustration with Fudge for devoting more of his time to younger runners such as Andrew Butchart and Laura Muir.

UKA are looking at their future funding plans. If they decide to remove Farah from their list of funded athletes, at least they would sever links with Salazar.

Mo Farah could have received guidance and support from Alberto Salazar’s son during the World Athletics Championships, with Sportsmail able to reveal that Alex Salazar was in London as a member of the American team’s coaching staff.

As one senior British Athletics figure revealed before the Championships, Alberto Salazar took the decision to stay away from London to protect Farah’s reputation when the four-time Olympic champion was going to be the focus of so much attention. Salazar, after all, remains at the centre of a United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation.

A conscious effort has certainly been made to put some distance between Farah and Salazar, with the 34-year-old, his PR spin doctors and even British Athletics officials playing down the importance of an American who actually transformed him from an also-ran into the most successful distance runner in history.

On Sunday Farah was evasive when asked if he planned to remain with Salazar when he retires from the track at the end of this season and moves up to the marathon.

He did, however, claim that Salazar’s involvement has been limited for the last ‘three or four years’ despite the fact that he continues to compete under the Nike Oregon Project banner and still lives with his family in Portland.

He also publicly stood by him two years ago when doping allegations first emerged as a result of a joint investigation by the BBC and ProPublica.

It has now emerged, however, that Salazar’s son was in London for the duration of the Championships, with his attention extending beyond the Nike Oregon Project athletes representing the US.

On Sunday he was seen at the warm-up track assisting Sifan Hassan, the Dutch distance runner who took the bronze medal in the 5000m ahead of Great Britain’s Laura Muir. She is an NOP athlete.

It is unclear as to how much time, if any, Alex Salazar devoted to Farah – he has been receiving day-to-day support from a junior British Athletics coach after a fall-out with head of endurance Barry Fudge – but coaches from other nations were stunned to see Alex Salazar there when he too is a prominent figure in the American anti-doping inquiry.

More than 20 former Nike Oregon Project athletes, coaches and staff have given evidence to USADA and one former coach, Steve Magness, revealed how Alex Salazar was used in a highly controversial experiment to see how much testosterone gel could be used before triggering a positive drugs test.

In an open letter to respond to the allegations two years ago, Salazar even admitted to using Alex and his brother Tony as scientific guinea pigs in July 2009 with a product called Androgel.

Salazar, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claimed it was a ‘sabotage test’ amid fears that a physiotherapist accused by Justin Gatlin of rubbing testosterone gel into him – and causing him to fail a drugs test for the second time in his career – had come into contact with Farah’s training partner, Galen Rupp.

Magness dismissed the explanation as ‘ludicrous’ and a leaked USADA interim report raisea a number of concerns when using a banned substance on support staff could yet lead to sanctions.

Salazar claimed the testosterone gel experiments were organised by Houston endocrinologist Dr Jeffrey Brown, with USADA stating in their report to the Texas Medical Board that neither Alex or Tony Salazar ‘had a prescription for testosterone’. The report also said the second of the two experiments was actually conducted on the Nike Campus in Oregon.

In an interview with USADA in February 2016 Salazar said the testosterone used in the experiments came from his own prescription for the substance, with Salazar personally applying it to his sons. Salazar also told USADA that the testosterone had been prescribed by Dr Brown.

However, USADA highlighted the fact that in the open letter published by Salazar in June 2015, when he attacked the credibility Magness and his claims, he had stated that ‘he was under the care of Portland physician Kristina Harp for hypogonadism and that Salazar was prescribed testosterone gel by Dr Harp’.

In a report that also contained evidence that Salazar’s athletes have been prescribed medication they had no medical need for, Farah among them, the USADA report identified other concerns. It stated that ‘Salazar acknowledged that his sons certainly were not informed of any risks of the administration of testosterone without a medical need for the substance’.

Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri led three Kenyans to the finals of the 5000m women race at the London Championships.

Obiri who is the fastest women was pitted against the defending champion Ethiopia Almaz Ayana who has already claimed gold in 10000m race.

Obiri crossed the line with 14:56.70 and was closely followed by Ayana of 14:57.06 with fellow country-mate Senbere Teferi taking third place with 14:57.06.

Sheila Kiprotich of Kenya qualified as the fastest loser with 14:57.58 as British and European record holder Laura Muir missing the automatic slot to qualify but getting the fastest loser slot with 14:59.34.

In the second heat Ethiopia’s 2017 World Cross Country Champion Letesenbet Gidey took 14:59.34 to beat Sifan Hassan of Netherlands who has the fastest time in 1500m of 3:56.14 that she set in Hegelo to come second with 14:59.85.

Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi finished fifth to book the automatic qualification in a time of 15:00.37 with United States Molly Huddle who led the better part of the race only to luck the final kick and landing herself to position seven but qualifying as the fastest loser with 15:03.60.

Reigning 5,000m and 10,000m world champion Mo Farah will headline British Athletics’ team for the IAAF World Championships in London, from August 4-13.

Farah has not been defeated in a 5,000m or 10,000m race at a major championships since 2011, with the four-time Olympic gold medallist leading a team of 78 British athletes for their home World Championships.

Also selected is reigning long jump world champion and London 2012 gold medallist Greg Rutherford as his bid for fitness continues, while Laura Muir is looking to follow Farah in achieving double success, in the 1500m and 5,000m.

There will also be a double dose of action for Katarina Johnson-Thompson, looking to follow the form that saw her post a heptathlon personal best as recently as May, as she also goes in the long jump.

Performance Director for British Athletics, Neil Black said: “London 2017 is the major global sporting event this year and will be the biggest occasion the country has seen since 2012.

“We’ve selected some incredibly talented athletes, and in many events there have been some close calls. It’s now up to them to grasp this opportunity and produce performances that will make the whole nation proud.”

Farah has very much monopolised the longer distances on the track in recent years, with London 2017 potentially seeing him win over 5,000m for a fourth consecutive Worlds.

A 10,000m would also be a third in succession, having stood on top of the podium at Beijing 2015 and also in Moscow two years previous.

This is also expected to be the a swansong Championships for the 33-year-old, with his track appearances thought to be in their final years.

Meanwhile Muir – who qualified for the 1500m by winning last season’s Diamond League title – has also proven her form and fitness to be selected for the 5,000m.

The recent Diamond League meeting at the London Stadium also saw her beat Dame Kelly Holmes’ British record, while she became a double European Indoor champion with 1500m and 3,000m gold in Belgrade earlier this year.

London 2012 Olympic champion Rutherford will also return to the scene of his success, though an ankle ligament injury has hampered his preparation to date.

A fourth successive British title was enough for Sophie Hitchon to earn selection and take her place in the hammer, where she will be joined by 2015 world finalist Nick Miller.

Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic bronze medallist at Rio 2016, will return in her triumphant 4x100m event as well as the 200m, while Perri Shakes-Drayton will compete in the 4x400m relay.

This will be Asher-Smith’s first international outing since fracturing her foot in February, while the wait has been even longer for Shakes-Drayton – who will represent British Athletics for the first time since the 2013 World Championships, when she sustained a knee injury.

European indoor hurdle champion Andrew Pozzi will join sprinters CJ Ujah and Zharnel Hughes on the startline, though Robbie Simpson misses out on the marathon due to a calf injury.

Those selected will also get a chance to vote for the British Athletics team captain, due to be announced on July 24.

Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri proved to the world that she is great shape this season when she broke the meet record and kenya record at the London Diamond League that was held on Sunday (9) in London,Great Britain.

With less than 80m to the finish line Obiri outpaced the home girl Laura Muir to cross the line in 4:16.56 and was closely followed by the British Champion with 4:18.03 and third place going to her fellow country mate Winny Chebet of 4:19.55.

Muir has set five British and two European records over the last 12 months, but missed out in her effort to better Zola Budd’s one-mile national record that has stood since 1985.

“I was tired the last 100m, but considering I was putting two races together in the last three or four days, I’m very happy.

“Hellen is probably the person to beat in the 5,000m, so I know she’s in great form right now and over the shorter distances too.” Muir told the press.

Angelika Cichoka of Poland took fourth place with 4:19.58 with Jenny Simpson of USA taking fifth place with 4:91.98

Obiri who graduated this year from 1500m to 5000m has claimed the first position of the World all-time athlete replacing the 58 year old Mary Teresa Slaney of the United States who was the world record holder in the mile, 5000m and 10,000 m and also taking the title from Faith Kipyegon as the fastest Kenyan ever.